Page 11 of Ride With Me

FOOL PROOF

ASHLYNN MILLS

CHAPTER 1

RILEY

“What doyou mean you’ve changed your mind?”

Sighing loudly, my boyfriend Stephen perches himself at the end of our bed. “I’m sorry, babe. I’ve thought about it long and hard. This one just feels too risky.”

“How? It’s in the middle of nowhere. The guy has no neighbors and is supposed to be gone on a week-long work trip. We made sure of it.”

Well, my friend Brick and I did, taking turns finding the perfect target. All Stephen ever did was be a good lookout. I handled the rest once inside. If there was a safe, I broke into it. I knew what was valuable and what was a waste of time. I’ve been stealing my whole life and perfected my craft over time, not repeating any of my past mistakes.

“I know.” He looks away from me, scrubbing at his face. “You’ll have Brick with you still. You pretty much do everything anyway, and I basically stand there in silent support, holding the bag open.”

My jaw twitches and I clutch onto the strap of the empty duffle hanging over my shoulder. “You’re really going to make me go into that house alone.” It’s a statement, not a question.

“I’m not making you do anything.” Stephen rubs his knees, scooting closer to the edge. There’s some odd look in his eyes as he stares at me, going too long without blinking. He’s not telling me something. When you date someone long enough, you learn their nervous tics. Is he really scared of getting caught this time? He’s been acting weird for a while now, and this uncomfortable space has spread between us. I can no longer get close enough to fully reach him.

“I have to do this, Stephen. The bills won’t get paid if I don’t. Neither of us has any other kind of income coming in.”

“Not yet,” he blurts. “Look, I’ve been wanting to tell you... My brother recently helped get me an interview at the place he works. I’d ask him to get you one too if you didn’t have a record.”

“I don’t need your brother’s connections,” I huff out. “No nine-to-five crap was ever in the cards for me anyway. This is my life. The only one I know. What I’m good at.”

“Then do whatever you want to do. I thought you’d at least be happy for me. You know, for landing a job and all. For doing what makes me happy. I’ve always supported you.”

He’s right, and now I feel like an asshole. His shoulders slump and he nibbles on his bottom lip. Fuck, I am an asshole.

Sitting beside him, I take his hand in mine and smile softly. “I am happy for you. I am. I just… I thought…It was nice to not have to do it alone. That was selfish of me and I’m sorry. You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.” I can’t stop myself hoping he’ll change his mind anyway. We’re so different in every way. When it comes to movie choices, hobbies, music, and even in the bedroom. Him robbing houses with me felt like the one thing holding us together.

We celebrated when it was over. Shared laughs and smiles that were hard to come by otherwise. We paid our bills and spent the money on new furniture for our apartment while enjoyingromantic steak dinners. All these things only happened after a job was completed.

Will we find another common interest? Another way to connect and relate? No more of those shared rushes after getting away with something we shouldn’t. No more of the hot, risky sex I convinced him to have with me in every place we stole from. No more being able to pretend I could get caught with my pants down at any moment before being cuffed and slammed into the floor.

A shudder runs through me, and when Stephen squeezes my hand, I remember the worries I should be having instead of getting aroused. I could lose him—no longer have someone to come home to or cook for. Is it weird for the list to be so short?

“I know, babe. I’m sorry too. I really didn’t want to let you down today, but I didn’t know how to tell you sooner. Last break-in really was my last one. I won’t be able to do this forever and I need something more stable.”

Safe, he means. I used to think that too when I started dating him. My life was full of danger and risk, but Stephen was the one consistent thing. Jobs could go wrong, but Stephen stayed the same, and I thought it would be good to have some balance. A little normality. But that feeling alone isn’t enough. I need more... Something that’s impossible to have in a relationship. Something I thought I was getting closer to with him.

Comfort and safety alone never got me anywhere in life. It was always temporary too, and then I ended right back in unfortunate circumstances. I thrive on fear. It’s gotten me a lot further than anything else. It’ll get me through this job alone too.

“I understand.” I look at him, doing my best to keep my smile from breaking. “Be here waiting for me when I get back?”

“Of course,” he says, his bottom lip twitching. Another nervous tic. His hand is clammy against mine, and I grow less convinced of his words the more I stay here.

“Good. Get the champagne and cheesecake ready.”

“I will.” His smile weakens, sweat breaking out along his brow. “I’ll even set your good clothes out for our steak dinner tonight.”

Leaning in closer, my lips brush over his, but a blaring horn has us jumping apart.

“Brick is already in the car. I’d hate for him to get his panties in a twist over me taking too long.”

“Go. I’ll be here waiting.” Stephen sweeps a thumb across my face—a move I thought had everyone exploding with shivers. At least, that was what they taught me in all the movies I watched. Then again, most never show people like me having a happy ending, so there’s that.

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